Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of
a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude
for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Tonight is a particular honor for me because — let’s
face it — my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely.
My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small
village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school
in a tin-roof shack. His father — my grandfather — was
a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through
hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to
study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon
of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born
in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her
father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression.
The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty;
joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home,
my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber
assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill,
bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the
way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common
dream, born of two continents.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared
an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They
would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing
that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.
They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even
though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America
you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.

They are both passed away now. And yet, I know that, on
this night, they look down on me with great pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage,
aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious
daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of
the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those
who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth,
is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation — not
because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of
our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based
on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made
over two hundred years ago: ‘We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they
are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.
That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’

That is the true genius of America — a faith in simple
dreams,, an insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck
in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed
and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write
what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door.
That we can have an idea and start our own business without
paying a bribe. That we can participate in the political
process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will
be counted at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our
values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality
and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers,
and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents — I
say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More work to
do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Ill., who are losing
their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving
to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children
for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the
father that I met who was losing his job and choking back
the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for
the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that
he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St.
Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has
the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money
to go to college.

Now don’t get me wrong. The people I meet — in
small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks — they
don’t expect government to solve all their problems.
They know they have to work hard to get ahead — and
they want to.

Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will
tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by
a welfare agency or by the Pentagon.

Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell
you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn — they
know that parents have to teach, that children can’t
achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the
television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black
youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

People don’t expect government to solve all their
problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with
just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that
every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that
the doors of opportunity remain open to all.

They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen
a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to
offer. And that man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands
the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve
defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to
his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through
two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself
to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make
tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values — and his record — affirm what is
best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard
work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies
shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating
jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can
afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington
have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t
held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage
of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that
have made our country the envy of the world, and he will
never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge
to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must
be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first
option.

You know, a while back, I met a young man named Shamus [Seamus?]
in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Ill.. He was a good-looking
kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile.
He told me he’d joined the Marines, and was heading
to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain
why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our
country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service,
I thought this young man was all that any of us might hope
for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus
as well as he is serving us?

I thought of the 900 men and women — sons and daughters,
husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t
be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families
I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved
one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned
with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but who still lacked
long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

When we send our young men and women into harm’s way,
we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade
the truth about why they’re going, to care for their
families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers
upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough
troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect
of the world.

Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies
in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued — and
they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.

And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his
life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President
Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might
to keep America safe and secure.

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it’s
not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside
our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient
in the American saga. A belief that we’re all connected
as one people.

If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t
read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child.
If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t
pay for their prescription drugs, and has to choose between
medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if
it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American
family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or
due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief,
I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper
that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to
pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together
as one American family.

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing
to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers
who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to
them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative
America — there is the United States of America. There
is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America
and Asian America — there’s the United States
of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country
into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans,
Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them,
too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we
don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries
in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States
and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States.
There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there
are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the
stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States
of America. In the end, that’s what this election is
about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do
we participate in a politics of hope?

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us
to hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism here - the almost
willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if
we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis
will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not
what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something
more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around
a fire singing freedom songs. The hope of immigrants setting
out for distant shores. The hope of a young naval lieutenant
bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. The hope of a millworker’s
son who dares to defy the odds. The hope of a skinny kid
with a funny name who believes that America has a place for
him, too.

Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty.
The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest
gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things
not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide
working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we
can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and
reclaim young people in cities across America from violence
and despair. I believe that we have a righteous wind at our
backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history,
we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that
face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do,
if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same
passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do — if
we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all across
the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine,
the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will
be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn
in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise,
and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will
come.